Today’s blog is about one of my favourite subjects: food! Or to be more specific, the times we decide to officially eat the food. Otherwise known as mealtimes.
With a newborn baby, of course, mealtime is not a thing. Either they are crying/screaming because they are hungry, or they are crying/screaming because they need a nappy change. Although, according to legend, sometimes they are neither and are quietly asleep!
I digress: once they have moved onto solid foods, however, you have reached that milestone when regular mealtimes are a thing. And will become an important foundation upon which their (and your) other daily routines are built. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner – with maybe a snack or two in between. Their journey to master the art of eating has begun!
As always, this will be a new learning experience for you both and we always have a book (or three) to help you and your little ones laugh and learn together.
This journey will have many ups and downs:
Becoming more in control of their fine motor skills (like holding a spoon) so they begin to be able to eat (mostly) unassisted = Up!
Experiencing the joy of seeing them use their newly acquired spoon skills to put half of it on the walls instead! = Down.
Getting through a particularly difficult, fussy eating phase = Up!
Realising your toddler is so not fussed they like to eat garden snails while you’re not watching! = Down.
As they master the basics you can begin to introduce some mealtime do’s and don’ts – aka table manners. There are many books that approach this in a fun and gently instructive manner:
There is also a wide array of titles that go beyond the basic themes of food and mealtimes. Books about what to eat, where it comes from, how to prepare it, and even what to try if you child just doesn’t want to.
And to finish off, here’s a few food-themed rhymes you can practice at home:
If you have any helpful (or hilarious) mealtime thoughts or stories to share, please leave a comment.
